Kate Bush has asked fans not to film her comeback gigs when they begin next week.

The Wuthering Heights star said it would "mean a great deal to me" if people did not use their phones or computers during the concerts.

Mobile phone technology and home computing were in their infancy when she last performed live in 1979.

The London gigs mark her return to the stage more than three decades later and at the same venue, the Hammersmith Apollo, where she effectively retired from live performances after six weeks on the road.

She was just 20 when she completed The Tour Of Life with three dates at what was then called the Hammersmith Odeon, after topping the charts with Wuthering Heights the previous year, becoming the first woman to go to number one singing one of her own songs.

Writing on her website, she said she was "very excited" about the shows and " working very hard in preparation".

She said: " I have a request for all of you who are coming to the shows.

"We have purposefully chosen an intimate theatre setting rather than a large venue or stadium. It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the shows.

"I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras. I know it's a lot to ask but it would allow us to all share in the experience together."

Bush is not the first musician to criticise gig-goers who spend their time engrossed in using their mobile devices rather than actually watching the show.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey recently said it was "weird" that people did not have their mind on the show when they had gone to a performance and were concentrating on staring at the screen rather than the artist on stage.

He said: "I feel sorry for them, I really feel sorry for them. Looking at life through a screen and not being in the moment totally - if you're doing that, you're 50% there, right? It's weird. I find it weird."

Performance artist Marin Abramovic recently barred visitors to her exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London from bringing in their devices in order for them to focus on the art she was creating.

People who like Kate Bush?
People who don't put dumb comments on the internet trying to be provocative?
You are pretty much the target audience for Kate Bush's request. Someone who feels that they need to be a participant in a fictional digital world.
Maybe you might enjoy listening to some of her records, if you have the attention span left, or if you can do it without the urge to make an attention seeking comment every 30 seconds?

People who like Kate Bush?
People who don't put dumb comments on the internet trying to be provocative?
You are pretty much the target audience for Kate Bush's request. Someone who feels that they need to be a participant in a fictional digital world.
Maybe you might enjoy listening to some of her records, if you have the attention span left, or if you can do it without the urge to make an attention seeking comment every 30 seconds?Reasonable_Person

As KB and RD say - why spend all your time at a concert looking through a tiny screen instead of enjoying the experience!

There are plenty of other idiots who will do that for you and you can look at it on youtube if you must.

As KB and RD say - why spend all your time at a concert looking through a tiny screen instead of enjoying the experience!
There are plenty of other idiots who will do that for you and you can look at it on youtube if you must.whatone

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